CREDIT: Jon Murray, the Province
Laverne, a Pacific white-sided dolphin from SeaWorld in Texas, is a newcomer to the Vancouver Aquarium and will be a companion to Spinnaker, the present resident dolphin at the aquarium.


After three lonely years, a looker from Texas has arrived to become Spinnaker's newest playmate.

And with that southern charm down pat, make no mistake, this lady's got game.

"She just looks great," beamed Dr. David Huff, the Vancouver Aquarium's veterinarian. "Even though she's a really big dolphin and dominant with other females, apparently she's pretty good with males. But should push come to shove in the pool, it's nice to have an extra 25 kilos on your side."

Laverne, a 27-year-old Pacific white-sided dolphin, arrived at the Vancouver Aquarium yesterday morning after a 14-hour flight from San Antonio, Texas.

She spent the better part of the morning swimming in circles to the oohs and aahs of Aquarium staff and visitors while Spinnaker, the aquarium's 18-year-old dolphin, hung out by the gate on the other side of the pool, eager to get a glimpse of his new friend.

But there was no such luck yesterday as aquarium staff decided to wait for Spin to calm down and Laverne to get settled in before having their first date.

The arrival of Laverne from SeaWorld in Texas ends the three-year search to find a mate for Spinnaker, who has been swimming alone since 37-year-old Whitewings died in 2002.

"It's been a very difficult search. It's been several years now, so we're very excited about today," said Brian Sheehan, marine mammal curator at the Vancouver Aquarium.

Sheehan said the search was difficult because there aren't that many dolphin facilities in the world and because the aquarium has a policy of not bringing in animals from the wild or animals that have been brought in from the wild after 1996.

Staff members hope that Laverne, a strong-willed female who weighs in at 125 kg and Spinnaker, a 103-kg, fun-loving, non-aggressive dolphin, will take enough of a liking to one another to produce a calf.

"It sure would be nice," said Huff. "She has a history. Five years ago, she did give birth to a calf named Munchkin and it is still alive and doing well so we do expect that to happen. We're hoping to have that happen."

Huff said if the two produce a baby, it means the aquarium's "husbandry and medical procedures and the quality of care must be OK and that makes it reassuring for us."

Laverne comes to the aquarium free of charge as part of the breeding loan program that many facilities around the world share.

n Meanwhile, staff are still waiting to find out what caused the sudden death one week ago of Tuvaq, the Aquarium's three-year-old baby beluga whale.

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© The Vancouver Province 2005